Most people suffer from occasional forgetfulness, especially in later life when slower brain processing may make it harder for them to store and remember information. However, absentmindedness is not an inevitable part of aging, nor is it confined to the elderly.
Poor memory can also be due to lack of sleep; an underlying condition such as depression; stress; a thyroid disorder; excessive use of alcohol; or prescribed or recreational drugs. In most cases, memory improves again when the underlying problem is treated. There are also techniques that help to protect and sharpen memory skills at any age. When memory deterioration occurs with symptoms such as confusion, intellectual decline, and a change in personality, it may be a sign of dementia.
Make an appointment to see your doctor if :
* Your memory is deteriorating
* You are taking medication such as sleeping tablets that may be affecting your memory
PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES
Memory aids Most of the following techniques use visualization and repetition, which help to store information in memory.
* Pay attention, particularly in situations where you feel excited or under stress. Ask people to repeat information that doesn’t register immediately. Then repeat it in your own words. Note landmarks along your route in unfamiliar surroundings such as a large building or driving through a new town.
* If you tend to forget a person’s name moments after you are introduced, repeat the name back, then try to make a picture from it incorporating the person in front of you. For example, visualize Glenda Fisher in a leafy glen, fishing by a stream.
* To remember a list, use a set of locations in your home and put an item from the list in each one.Make the mental images incongruous and exaggerated. For example, to remember a shopping list you could visualize a huge block of butter melting on your bed; a loaf of bread baking in the fireplace; or a giant teabag in the washbasin. To recall the list in the supermarket, visualize walking through your home and finding each item in its strange location.
* Exercise your memory. Keep track of your money by remembering how and where you spent it since you last went to the bank. Alternatively, try to recall the main points of a recent conversation with a friend.
Arrange to see your doctor if :
* Your memory is continuing to decline and/or you are finding it difficult to cope
What you can do yourself
There are no instant cures for forgetfulness, but the following techniques and lifestyle changes can help preserve and improve your memory.
* Get a good night’s sleep, take regular exercise, and include plenty of fresh fruits (especially citrus fruits), green leafy vegetables, nuts, olives, granary bread, and cereals in your diet.
* Try not to worry about your memory failures; anxiety and lack of confidence will only make them worse. Work out why you forgot something and organize yourself so it is less likely to happen again.
* Try techniques to improve your memory (see PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES). Exercise your brain with crosswords and word games. Read a book or newspaper rather than watch TV passively.
* Note tasks and events on a calendar and in a diary that you keep with you at all times. Be orderly; keep essential articles in their own place, such as keys and glasses by the front door. Have fixed days and times for important tasks.
* Don’t drink to excess or take recreational drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy. However, drinking 1-2 units of alcohol every day (a glass of wine is 1 unit) may help to reduce the risk of dementia.
* Have your vision and hearing checked regularly.
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